An Atlanta man has been sentenced to a lengthy prison term for defrauding two former NBA players out of millions of dollars.
Calvin Darden Jr., 50, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced to 151 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick for his role in a wire and bank fraud scheme that targeted Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons.
According to court documents, Darden Jr. deceived Howard into sending him $7 million, purportedly for the purpose of buying the Atlanta Dream, a team in the Women’s National Basketball Association.
Darden Jr. worked with Charles Briscoe, Howard’s agent, to perpetrate the fraud. He sent a ‘Vision Plan’ to Howard about the purported purchase of the Dream, which falsely claimed that a number of celebrities and companies had agreed to be advisors to the Dream or to sponsor the Dream after Howard purchased it.
Darden Jr. directed Howard to send the $7 million to a shell company he controlled, in order to effectuate the purported purchase of the Dream. He then laundered the money through a number of different bank accounts he controlled.
Howard learned that he did not in fact own the Dream only when ESPN reported that the Dream had in fact been sold to someone else.
In addition to the prison term, Darden Jr. was sentenced to five years of supervised release. He was ordered to forfeit $8,000,000 and a number of other items, including a Lamborghini, a Rolls-Royce, $600,000 of artwork by Jean-Michel Basquiat, and an Atlanta mansion.
Darden Jr. was also ordered to make restitution in the amount of $8,000,000.
The sentencing comes after Darden Jr. was previously convicted of fraud in New York state in 2005 and in the Southern District of New York in 2015.
Mandatory Facts:
1. Defendant/respondent REAL full name or legal entity name: Calvin Darden Jr.
2. Exact criminal charges: Conspiracy to commit wire and bank fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and money laundering.
3. City and state: Atlanta, Georgia.
4. EXACT DATE with month/day/year: Not specified in the source.
5. Sentence or outcome: 151 months in prison, five years of supervised release, forfeiture of $8,000,000 and other items, and restitution in the amount of $8,000,000.
6. Dollar amounts where applicable: $8,000,000.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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